June 14, 2019

Cuba rations food as its socialist economy enters crisis mode

fromMises: You probably know what is going on in Venezuela. You probably don't know what is going on in Cuba.

Economic Policy: Statism Versus The Free Market

Great lakes reveal a fatal flaw in climate change ‘science’

fromIssues&Insights: "if nothing can disprove a theory, and every event, no matter how contradictory, is proof that the theory is valid, is that really science? Sounds more like a religion."

Political Correctness and Other Nitwittery

New cars to be equipped with breathalyzers, drivers given mental health assessments

fromActivistPosts: Seeking to emulate China, Rep. Kathleen Rice’s H.R. 3374 bill, otherwise known as the End Drunk Driving Act, would put breathalyzers and ignition interlock devices in every new car.

Regulation Nation

The city of Vallejo, California, has a police problem—and it's all being caught on camera

fromReason: A small city in California has been plagued by police shootings, costly civil rights lawsuits, and incidents of excessive force.

Police State America

From 2015 to ’18, Contra Costa cops seized $1.1 million from people not charged with a crime

fromMises: Marijuana made up $1.2 million, the largest single source of cash. If we are governed by consent of the people, the people must have been demanding this. Or, perhaps we should check our premises.

The Government is Not Us          Police State America

Rising conservatives are as hostile to freedom as the Leftists they disdain

fromReason: Republicans, who have gleefully warned the public about Democratic flirtations with socialism, shouldn't be quick to gloat given the emergence of an anti-freedom movement on the Right.

Politics and Other Official Acts of Corruption

April 15, 2019

Julian Assange and WikiLeaks deserve our thanks for making governments more transparent

fromReason:  The world is a better place now that it's harder than ever for governments to keep secrets.

The Government is Not Us       Government is Watching Every Move You Make     

The Washington establishment seems pretty happy about Julian Assange’s arrest

fromReason:  Deep state tyrants figure to sleep a little better if they can eliminate Assange.

The Government is Not Us       Government is Watching Every Move You Make 

Assisted dying: The death panels are coming

fromGaryNorth:  Rationing is inevitable in a world of scarcity. You can ration by price: high monetary bid wins. You can ration by standing in line: first come, first served. You can ration by bureaucratic procedure: fill out forms. 
But there is always rationing.

Economic Policy: Statism Versus The Free Market

Why an internet regulator is a bad idea

fromSpiked:  We should be stripping away curbs on speech – not adding more.

Indoctrination and Censorship

Looking into surveillance

fromProvidenceJournal:  If our government has improperly used its immense power to spy on citizens for political purposes, it is vital that it be stopped, and those involved be punished, lest we become a police state.

Government is Watching Every Move You Make        Police State America

Your Volvo will soon call the cops on you if it thinks you've been drinking

fromZeroHedge:  It is unclear if demand for Volvos will collapse as a result of big brother watching over every move, or if potential customers will welcome this latest incursion of their privacy.

Government is Watching Every Move You Make        Police State America

February 12, 2018

Convictions thrown out after police caught paying labs for positive DUI test results

fromTheFreeThoughtProject: A judge has ruled that the practice of state forensics labs receiving financial compensation for positive tests that lead to DUI convictions is unconstitutional. 
Police State America    The Government is Not Us

CNN’s reporting not holding up too well

fromConsultingByRPM: A look back at CNN's now debunked contention that infamous Steele dossier was not fake nor funded by the Clinton campaign.
Indoctrination and Censorship     Media Bias on Parade

When will it stop? Conservatives who vowed to cut spending keep spending

fromMcClatchyDCBureau: Old Chinese Proverb: When I talk, I put on my mask. When I act, I take it off.
Economic Policy: Statism Versus The Free Market      The Government is Not Us

Journalists "begging" not to be told about surveillance abuses; "propagandists" in newsrooms

fromZeroHedge: Investigative reporter Sharyl Attkisson said she has never seen journalists "so uncurious and begging" not to be told about alleged or supposed violations of citizens rights.
Indoctrination and Censorship     Media Bias on Parade

VIDEO: Milton Friedman - What is Monetary Policy?

fromLibertyPen/YouTube: Professor Friedman brilliantly explains monetary policy, what money really is, the Federal Reserve and the price system.
Economic Policy: Statism Versus The Free Market

$20 billion hidden in the swamp: Feds redact 255,000 salaries

fromZeroHedge: The only thing the bureaucratic resistance hates more than President Trump is the disclosure of their own salaries.
Politics and Other Official Acts of Corruption      The Government is Not Us

VIDEO: Grandma Schools DUI Checkpoint Cop - Inspiring!

Is Safety Just A Pretense? How One Police Dept Racked Up 1700 Citations Deploying Questionable DUI Checkpoints

by Angela Caputo.  On an unseasonably cool summer evening last year, Berwyn police officers stood at Ogden and East avenues eyeing cars as they crawled through a roadside check. The officers were working a special night DUI patrol, looking for bloodshot eyes, signs of drug use and vehicle violations like expired tags and broken lights, stopping vehicles   ... MORE

Sarah Longwell: A Call To Ditch Sobriety Checkpoints

Big hassle, lots of money and a tiny reward.   Americans should buckle up and brace themselves for particularly heavy traffic this Memorial Day weekend. According to estimates from AAA, more than 37 million vacationers will drive to a destination for the three-day break this year, the most in nearly a decade. Unfortunately, crowded highways  ... MORE

Illinois Finds DUI Checkpoints Both Costly And Ineffective

by David Rutter.    When last we visited the unhappy realm of drunken drivers, we were asking a valid question: What if DUI arrests are going down in Illinois because there are fewer sloshed drivers? That was true everywhere but on Lake County's non-municipal roadways where sheriff's deputies made 348 DUI arrests in 2013, the most of any county  ... MORE

VIDEO: 5 Stupid Alcohol Laws In Virginia

Texas Knows Sobriety Checkpoints Are Unconstitutional

by Lily Dane.        Sobriety checkpoints (or "DUI checkpoints") are roadblocks that law enforcement officers set up on roads for the purpose of catching people driving under the influence of alcohol. Some of us also think they are used to generate revenue for police departments and the State, since the stops often result in citizens being slapped     ... MORE

VIDEO: FOX NEWS - Individual Rights At DUI Checkpoints

VIDEO: John Stossel - Cops And Cameras

Scott Shackford: One Way To Deal With DUI Checkpoints

Police aren’t happy about it.   Warren Redlich, back in 2010, was the Libertarian Party candidate for governor of New York (Nick Gillespie even highlighted him on the blog here). Needless to say, he didn’t win. But Redlich is back in the news getting publicity for his method of dealing with police DUI checkpoints in Florida (where he lives now) while     ... MORE

NBC Miami: A Legal Way Around DUI Checkpoints?

You may not want to roll down your window.   DUI checkpoints are used by multiple South Florida law enforcement agencies to try to keep the streets clear of intoxicated drivers. But, a local attorney says there’s a legal way around the checkpoints for any driver, while prosecutors say not so fast. “Normally what they look for is:   ... MORE

Jeffrey Tucker: Another Reason Uber Gets Banned

Depressing drunk drivers costs government revenue.  I live in a college town where drunk driving is a way of life. I once asked a policeman what his main job was in my town and he said very plainly: “stopping and arresting drunk drivers.” I asked how he knows whom to stop. His answer is that he has developed a nose for this.    ... MORE

DUI Checkpoints Could Be A Thing Of The Past In N.D.

by Nicole Johnson.    If only the Fourth Amendment protected us from warrantless searches. DUI checkpoints in North Dakota could soon be a thing of the past. Sobriety checkpoints are used in North Dakota by police to deter drunk driving. But, lawmakers in Bismarck are talking about getting rid of them, saying there needs to be a reason to     ... MORE

ND Legislator Calls For End Of Sobriety Checkpoints

by Karee Magee.  Warrantless searches are an inefficient infringement. A bill that would eliminate sobriety checkpoints in North Dakota will appear before the Judiciary Committee Monday. House Bill 1084 says law enforcement would need reasonable suspicion before halting a vehicle. Sponsor, Rep. Rick Becker, R-Bismarck, said the bill questions    ... MORE

N D Lawmakers Recognize Checkpoints Invade Privacy

One state concerned with individual liberty.  Some North Dakota lawmakers say sobriety checkpoints are a nuisance, and an invasion of privacy. They want to do away with them, saying there is a better way to catch drunk drivers than pulling people over by random. The Republican sponsored bill would require police to have reasonable suspicion  ... MORE

Jeffrey Tucker: Legalize Drunk Driving

Criminalize bad behavior, not consumed chemicals.       Most people have been there: a few drinks at a restaurant or bar and then into the car to get home. Am I over the legal limit? Hard to say. Is my driving impaired? It doesn’t seem to be. But what if I get stopped? Will I lose my license, go to jail, and be disgraced in front of the community?   ... MORE

Robert D'Onofrio: Protecting Individual Liberty From Evil

Evil persists when good men do nothing.       Aside from the stunning brutality of the tragedy in France, the most striking thing about the cowardly murders is how unambiguous the enemy is in both intent and action. It’s uncensored, chilling and very real. This isn’t just a U.S. problem or a gun problem. It’s also not a group problem,    ... MORE

Jim Monk: N.D. Bill Would Ban Use Of Sobriety Checkpoints

"Reasonable suspicion," what a concept!        A bill in the North Dakota Legislature would prohibit the use of sobriety checkpoints. The Republican-sponsored measure says law enforcement may not perform a traffic stop unless the officer has "reasonable suspicion" of a violation. Senator Tom Campbell of Grafton says sobriety checkpoints    ... MORE